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"Settling in, are you?" Loki's voice asked, as he let himself in and swept his gaze over the balcony, where I was perched in a chair scribbling away.

"Guess you could say that," I responded, standing.

I hid the paper I was sketching on behind my back as he entered onto the balcony with slow steps, his green and black cape swishing at his black-booted feet which tapped against the flagstone flooring. I didn't often share my art with people. Mae and Gale, sure. My dad, sometimes. But I never showed many people beyond that. When I sold it, I did it without giving information of my identity. I was just some faceless artist barely scraping by.

"How goes the researching?" I asked softly as he paused before me, eyes trailing up and down my body. I felt my face twinge with heat.

"It isn't going," Loki answered, eyes meeting my own, "My father gave up for the evening. He'll return tomorrow with more people to assist him. Including myself."

"Right..." I sighed, turning to face the balcony, now clutching my paper to my stomach to conceal it from view.

"What have you got there?" he asked, trying to peer around me, but I turned away.

"It's nothing," I said.

He nodded skeptically, leaning his back against the railing to face me, folding his arms.

"I wondered if you might be able to get in contact with your father? Perhaps ask him of your heritage?" he asked.

"I guess I could try to send a letter," I responded, "My father—He was always so secretive. Of my powers, my mother, my past. It was why I left home so young. Don't get me wrong, I want to know about my past, but at the same time, I don't want to find out that my dad has known it this whole time. And kept it from me."

"Well, better he kept it from you and you find it out, than he continues to keep it from you and you never learn the truth," Loki said, and I nodded, sighing and letting my hands relax at my sides.

Loki took this opportunity to snatch up my unfinished sketch, unfurling the paper and examining it, holding it high above my head when I jumped and pulled at his arm to recollect it. Pain prodded at my ribcage, but already I was noticing the pain receed. Whatever the healers had done, it was working.

"You're talented," he remarked with a low whistle, "I'm impressed."

"Give that back," I ordered, jumping up and ripping it from his grasp.

His lips peeled into an amused grin.

"Was there anything else you wanted?" I asked coolly, as my face flushed and he chuckled.

"Nothing more than to inform you of our progress," he answered.

"From the sounds of it, you've made none," I folded my arms.

"Nonetheless," he continued, "Here I am. I heard from Sigrid you weren't shown about the place?"

"I barely have the energy to stay upright, let alone spend the evening wandering around a massive palace."

He sighed, shaking his head.

"At least try to hide your disappointment, not all of us are gods," I muttered, "And what did you expect? I was beaten and burned out, I'm running on fumes."

"Well, I'd be more than willing to show you about the place come morning," he offered, "So you don't get lost. I'll meet you here?"

"I guess, yeah," I shrugged, turning back into the room and aching at the sight of my bed, "Oh, and, by the way. I'm a New Yorker. We don't get lost."

He grinned.

"Noted."

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A sharp knocking at the door pulled me out of a deep sleep, and I groggily rubbed my eyes, pushing myself up and eyeing the closed door. Golden morning light spilled in from the open windows, babbling water and musical birdsong lilted outside. Then the knocking again.

"I'm coming," I called, "Hold your horses."

I pulled a small shawl over my thin silk night dress and strolled over to the door, pulling it open, to reveal Loki, dressed for the day, and fist suspended in midair, likely to knock for a third time.

"Jesus H. I didn't think a morning tour meant the crack of dawn, Loki," I breathed, my mouth pulling into a smile.

"Oh dear," his gaze lowered, "You're indecent."

I looked down over my appearance. The nightgown was sheer, sure, but it was pretty modest. I quirked a brow, looking up at him.

"I'm clothed, am I not?" I smiled, "You guys act like you're straight out of the medieval ages, with your 'lords', and 'ladies', and fancy walk and talk."

"Just," he let his gaze lift a little, trailing up my body to meet my eyes, "Get dressed in something decent."

"Right away m'lord," I mocked his accent, bowing, before sauntering back into my room and disappearing behind the folding screen, where a few dresses were hung up on a rack.

I selected a pale green number with silver accents, and tied my hair up into a bun that was as neat as I could manage. The pain was almost entirely faded by now, only an echo of what it had been yesterday evening.

I splashed some cool water on my face before coming out to meet Loki, who was leaned up against the wall, waiting impatiently.

"My, you wear that well," he commented absently, "Green suits you."

"What do you have against waking up at a decent time?" I asked, brushing off his remark.

"I could ask the same of you," he shot back with a smirk, "It's nearly noon."

"Oh," I said quietly, following him out.

We wove throughout the palace, poking our heads into rooms as we went, some vacant, some packed, some opulent, others more simple. It was marvelous at first, every little detail catching my eye. But eventually, the rooms began to weld into one and I started to wish we were outside, seeing more of Asgard's scenery. As though he sensed my thoughts, Loki slowed his pace, turning to me with a curious stare.

"Bored already, darling?"

"No, I just... Don't you find these hallways sometimes get a little repetitive?"

"Fine," he said, taking my hand, "You want to see something that will really take your breath away, come with me."

We descended several flights of stairs and exited out a door, emerging out onto a pretty fancy-looking port. Loki lead me over to a small boat, and helped me inside, only letting go of my hand when I was seated, my back to the palace. He sat across from me, and began to row away from the palace.

He seemed to keep his eyes trained on me the whole time, and I felt my complexion redden under his intense eyes. I went to turn back and look at the palace when we were far enough away, but paused and turned to face Loki when I felt his hand on my wrist.

"Not yet," was all he said, as he went on rowing.

I marvelled at the glittering bridge that lead to the Bifrost, my means of entrance into Asgard. And like that, my thoughts began to spiral to darker places. About my unknown identity and powers. Just as the bitter thoughts began to consume me, Loki spoke up again.

"Now," he said softly, peering over my shoulder, "Look."

"It's beautiful," I gasped.

And it was.

Asgard in all its splendor from last night paled in comparison to the sight before me now. The towering buildings, the metallic hues, the floating sculptures, the iridescent bridge, the trees, the cliffaces, the sprawling body of scintillating water at the kingdom's feet. It was truly beautiful. Probably the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen.

But as I looked over the gorgeous kingdom, I began to feel miserably out of place. I stuck out like a sore thumb. I didn't belong here. So why was I here? How was I here?

"I'm not supposed to be here," I remarked, turning back slowly to face Loki, whose gaze was zeroed in on me.

"If you weren't meant to be here, you wouldn't be," he said, shifting one bench closer to me so that we sat directly across from each other, our knees touching, "One of your parents was Asgardian. That makes you Asgardian. Your Asgardian blood makes you worthy of being here."

"And my, what did you call it..? Midgardian blood? What does that make me?" I asked.

"Asgardians are powerful. Strong. That blood doubltess outweighs the Midgardian in you. It matters little that we find who your mother was, for we know already that she was born here. And that makes you Asgardian too. But that's nothing to fixate on. What concerns me are your powers," he nodded down at my hands, which I noticed were began to emanate a faint orange glow.

I frantically clasped them together.

"Before it was your anger that drove it, was it not?" he remarked, taking up my hand, which was warm but not scalding.

"It's always my anger. My anger and fear," I answered distantly, my face reddening and my body heat rising as he lifted my hand, tracing his finger across my palm.

"Do I make you angry, Alivia? Scared?" he asked, looking up to meet my eyes.

"You... No," I said, trying to pull my hand away. He clasped it tighter, moving in closer.

"I make you feel something else then? Something that triggers your powers to arise in a nonviolent fashion?" he said with a sly smile.

My powers flared, but it didn't feel like a volatile surge of power this time. Now, it felt like a tingly buzz radiating with warmth, as sparks flew from my finger tips and my heterochromic eye blazed.

"I..." I fumbled for words to say, but felt my thoughts slip away under his cool eyes.

"What do I make you feel?" he asked with a grin, leaning in almost close enough for our noses to touch, "Am I making it worse?"

He closed the distance I attempted to put between us by leaning back. I felt butterflies in my stomach and tried to pull away further. Which was a mistake.

I pulled back too far, careening over the side of the boat and plunging into the crystal water below. It was a shock of cold to my heated up body, but it was a relief to have distanced myself from Loki. My powers had never acted that way before. It must've been another one of his tricks, like when he cloned himself.

I swam back up and broke the surface of the water, latching on to the side of the boat to keep me afloat. Loki's smug face smiled down at me. I cracked a smile.

"Oh, don't look too proud of yourself," I said, before grabbing him by the shirt collar and heaving him down with me.

A look of surprise overtook his face before he plunged into the water beside me. He was quick to surface, grabbing hold of the side of the boat with both hands on either side of me. Now he was closer than ever, and I felt my body heat kick into overdrive. The water around us began to steam as my skin heated.

"Are you almost finished?" I asked.

"That depends," he responded with a smirk, "Would you like me to be? I find myself rather enjoying this little exchange."

"Let's just get back into the boat," I said, turning to look away, "I'm getting cold."

"You don't look it," he responded, pulling my face by the chin so that our eyes locked, "You might be heating up. But I think you're just blushing terribly."

"Or my powers are getting ready to blast you sky high. Would you like to find out?"

Loki froze for a moment, his smile faltering.

"Back in the boat it is."

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